Chicago, Atlanta:
United Airlines plans to fly its last Boeing Co. 747 jumbo jet late this year, retiring its largest aeroplanes a year ahead of schedule as the iconic aircraft glides into the sunset.
The decision marks the end of an era for US airlines, which have relied on the humpbacked 747 to bring jet travel to a mass consumer market since the plane debuted in 1970, the same year that Pan Am began service as the long-haul behemoth’s launch customer. United flew its first jumbo between California and Hawaii that year.
It’s also a reminder of the tough task Boeing faces as it tries to keep its newest 747 model, the -8, aloft amid waning demand for four-engine aircraft. The Chicago-based plane maker has just 28 unfilled orders, after closing 17 sales of the freighter version of the jet last year. Boeing has said it would end production if more orders don’t materialise.
“It’s a bittersweet milestone — this jumbo jet with its unmistakable silhouette once represented the state-of-the-art in air travel,” United President Scott Kirby said in a letter to employees Wednesday.
Jetliner shift
The Chicago-based carrier flies 20 of the 747-400 passenger model, which Boeing manufactured from 1988 and 2009. Delta Air Lines Inc., the other US operator, is also parking the jumbo jets this year. Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., ANA Holdings Inc., Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Air France are among carriers that have retired their 747-400 jetliners this decade amid a shift from four-engine aircraft.
Twin-engined wide-bodies like Boeing’s 777 and the Airbus A350 can haul almost as many people over vast distances as aviation’s behemoths, the 747 and Airbus Group SE’s A380 superjumbo. United’s jumbos burn about 20 per cent more fuel per seat than its newest 777s and require special handling from maintenance technicians. Sourcing spare parts is becoming a headache as more airlines retire their jumbo fleets, according to the airline.
United spokesman Luke Punzenberger wouldn’t say which wide-body aircraft would replace the planes that have served as the airline’s workhorses on trans-Pacific routes for two decades. The carrier has taken delivery of the first of 14 Boeing 777-300ERs it has ordered for long-range flying.
The airline also has ordered 35 Airbus A350-1000s, but is weighing converting those twin-aisle jets to the smaller -900 variant or the mid-sized A330, United Chief Financial Officer Andrew Levy said in a November interview.
The airline plans to move pilot and flight attendant crews assigned to the 747 transition to other aircraft, Kirby told employees. “Our forward-looking fleet plan will cover 747 replacements and anticipated growth opportunities,” he said. “And of course, we’ll honour the 747 with an unforgettable retirement celebration.”
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With United Continental Holdings Inc. joining rival Delta Air Lines Inc. in retiring the iconic jumbo jet this year, plenty of aviation enthusiasts may be pondering a trip or two to experience a US-operated 747 one last time.
For summer, when leisure travel increases, United plans to use the jet for one of two daily San Francisco-London nonstops. But it says the 747 garners the lowest passenger scores in its fleet. This year, the carrier said, will be the last for the four-engine plane with the bulging fuselage.
Delta meanwhile is rapidly winding down service with the last of its five 747s, which are deployed from its Detroit hub to Seoul, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Neither airline has disclosed when exactly its final 747 flight will be. Delta has loaded 747 schedules through late November; United said its last 747 flight would occur in the fourth quarter. But the end is near.
